SticklerPhonics’ secret weapon isn’t the combination of instruments, but the imagination and wherewithal to make music that’s fresh and fun.

Here’s the official video of “Yo I Surrender,” a down-home ditty by Oliver Wood that manages to be uplifting without even trying too hard.

John Blum’s ‘Deep Space’ might have some Sun Ra flavor in it thanks to Marshall Allen, but the free jazz pianist follows his own muse and it’s a good one.

‘Vivid Tales of A Blurry Self-Portrait’ tells a story with not words but with feel, and you can’t help but notice the unpretentious emotional investment Nicola Caminiti put into his debut album.

Defying smooth jazz stereotypes, David Sanborn shined when joined fellow ex-Julius Hemphill pupil Tim Berne in adventurous performances of Hemphill songs.

Just as long as you like to move, there’s no reason not to like David Sanborn’s take on the Ornette Coleman classic “Ramblin’.”

David Sanborn’s anthemic ballad “A Tear For Crystal” goes slow, but it also goes hard.

Not much crossover jazz from the 80s holds up well today soundwise but David Sanborn’s “It’s You” from ‘Voyeur’ is timeless.

“Short Visit” was David Sanborn’s early hat tip to his sometimes-employer Gil Evans, but it wouldn’t be his last.

Often situated in a cloud of opaque neo-funk, the late David Sanborn’s talents could be understandably obscured. Yet, there’s no mistaking, or escaping, that tone.